A/N: Hello, all! Welcome back! This is an AU sequel to Bad Batch Season 1. Also a companion work to "Be Brave, Omega".

This story is for guest reviewer Mae, Sandriassaber, Cuthalion97 and wwheeljack as well as for any who are lonely and suffering in any way, especially in their families.

I hope you all enjoy the story!

Omega sat silently in the copilot's seat as she had when she had first left Kamino. Now she was leaving Kamino for the second time with Hunter and the others - but someone was still missing.

She had wished so much for the time when they would catch up to Crosshair at last - or when he would catch up to them - now it had happened. And it hadn't turned out at all how she had expected.

Whatever had happened between Hunter and Crosshair on Kamino had only seemed to push Crosshair further away. Omega didn't understand why or how. Crosshair's words had seemed obvious enough, but there was something else to the whole mess - if only she could figure it out!

She knew she couldn't. Not yet. She was only a little girl after all, though she tried so hard to do everything like the Batchers.

There had been a time when she felt guilty and alone if she hadn't done exactly as Hunter would demand of himself to do. That had changed, but she still couldn't seem to brush away the need to fix everything like Hunter always seemed to.

Omega glanced sidelong at Tech who was piloting the Marauder, flying the ship away - farther and farther away from where Crosshair stood on an abandoned landing platform in the midst of a lonely ocean.

She wanted to ask Tech what it was in Crosshair, what had happened between the sniper and Hunter that had made Crosshair refuse to come back. Hunter was able to make everything better. He always had, as far as Omega knew...

But this problem, Hunter couldn't fix. No one could. Tech had said it himself: "Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It's his nature. You cannot change that. He cannot change that."

Omega knew what Crosshair was, but she didn't agree with Tech completely. She had seen how Hunter and the others had changed - why couldn't Crosshair? But for now, there was nothing she could do, so she swallowed back her question and turned to look over her shoulder at the others.

Echo was crouched in the hall behind the cockpit. He sat between the rows of seats with AZ and a pile of tools on the floor in front of him. His brow was furrowed as it often was in concentration or annoyance (mostly at Tech when the two of them worked together), but this time they were knit in the way they did when Echo was upset.

Omega furrowed her own brow.

Wrecker and Hunter sat side by side just behind her. Wrecker was hunched over in his seat, his clasped hands resting across his knees, and his left leg bouncing continuously. That always happened when he thought hard.

Wrecker glanced up at Omega and gave her a sad, lopsided smile.

Omega tried to smile back, but she couldn't. The weird feeling in her stomach and her confusion wouldn't let her.

Hunter was still. His head was tilted up against the back of the chair and he seemed almost to be asleep. But Omega saw his face turn slightly in her direction as she continued to watch him.

Slipping from her seat, Omega quietly walked up to him, and when she put her hands on Hunter's vambrace, he opened his eyes.

They were rock hard.

"Hunter?" Omega didn't quite know what to say, but she had to say something. The confusion at everything that had happened on Kamino was starting to scare her more than the incidents themselves. Maybe it was because she knew she couldn't understand. But she wanted to so badly, so she would try.

Hunter finally slid his gaze to meet hers.

Omega picked at the hard edge of Hunter's wrist comm and scrunched her face up.

"Hunter, why couldn't...why wouldn't Crosshair come with us?"

Hunter sighed and sat up, dropping his arms to his knees. "I don't know, Omega."

"Why not?"

Hunter blinked up at her. "What...? Because... Because Crosshair isn't who he was."

"Or who we thought he was," Wrecker muttered miserably.

Hunter shot him a glare, then stood and strode to the bunkroom. Omega heard the unusual sound of the lock activating as the door slid shut.

Wrecker sighed and got up, then slumped over to Echo. After a short, whispered conversation, Echo gathered up his tools, Wrecker picked up AZ, and both of them headed into the hold.

Omega watched them climb down the ladder, then slumped back into her seat.

The awkward and lost way in which everyone was acting hurt worse than any pain Omega had ever felt.

She stared out of the viewport, thinking hard.

Hunter seemed to think that letting Crosshair stay behind was the best thing. Omega didn't think so. Hunter had been wrong before.

So have you, a small voice inside her said.

Omega shook it away and pressed her lips together, determined to help make things right. It was not okay to leave Crosshair behind. He was wrong, but that could be fixed. He couldn't help but change his mind when he saw how much the others still loved and missed him.

But he has to have the chance to see it, she thought.

Omega hopped from her chair and moved up to Tech.

"We have to go back," she whispered. "I know we couldn't go back when Hunter got caught, but this time, we can!"

Tech did not look at her. Her heart began to pound in desperation.

"Please, Tech!"

"Hunter ordered it then, he ordered it now."

"Actually, he didn't. You were the one who said we should leave..."

" Hunter ordered the takeoff. As for my suggestion to leave, there was no time for pointless debate."

Omega felt herself beginning to shake. They were almost out of time now. In a few more moments, the Havoc Marauder would be in the openness of space, and it would be impossible to return for Crosshair.

She said the only thing she could think of. The only thing that made any sense in the whole situation.

"But, Tech! You're a Bad Batcher! Hunter said the reason you've all survived is because you were willing to not follow orders all the time!"

Tech swallowed, but his face remained carefully impassive.

"Through the war, we were given objectives to complete and a set of instructions on how to achieve the desired results. Hunter is the sergeant. He bent or broke the rules on how to go about things, and we followed."

"But you can't just leave Crosshair there! He...he doesn't know what he's doing!"

Tech let out a strange little laugh. "Oh, I assure you, Omega, he does know."

"But...but...we didn't get to give him his new commlink!"

Tech ignored her.

Omega jostled his elbow. "Suppose the Empire's scouts don't find him? He'll need to get help. Hunter took his helmet and gun and his pack! The empire tried to kill Crosshair! What if they just shoot him down if they do come?"

Tech's hand inched towards the hyperdrive computer, and Omega seized it.

"Tech, please!"

"Crosshair...he..." Tech seemed to want to continue, but then he clamped his mouth tightly shut. Omega squeezed his hand harder, and after an unbearably long silence, Tech turned fully to face Omega.

"I will need your help," he said and jerked his head towards the copilot's seat. "Get ready."

Omega could have hugged him right then and there. But she jumped to her station and seized the steering yoke just as Tech spun the ship around and sent it streaking back to Kamino once more.